LibriVox recording of The Variable Man, by Philip K. Dick. Read by Gregg Margarite.

Predictability has come a long way. The computers of the future can tell you if you’re going to win a war before you fire a shot. Unfortunately they’re predicting perpetual standoff between the Terran and Centaurian Empires. What they need is something unpredictable, what they get is Thomas Cole, a man from the past accidently dragged forward in time. Will he fit their calculations, or is he the random variable that can break the stalemate? – The Variable Man first appeared in the September, 1953 issue of Space Science Fiction magazine. (Summary by Gregg Margarite)

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M4B audiobook of Complete Book


This audio is part of the collection: The LibriVox Free Audiobook Collection
It also belongs to collections: Audio Books & Poetry; Community Audio

Artist/Composer: Philip K. Dick
Date: 2010-05-03
Source: Librivox recording of a public-domain text
Keywords: librivox; audiobook; science fiction; dick

Creative Commons license: Public Domain

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Reviewer: mikezane - - May 12, 2010
Subject: Such a cool story
John Cole is the variable man from the past who is brought by accident to the future. It's a good thing too, because without him, the Terrans really can't fix Icarus, the bomb destined to free the Terrans from Centarian blockade.

Ah, but what would a story be without an antagonist? Enter Reinhart, the shoot-em-first-and-ask-questions-later general who doesn't like variables in his war calculations. In fact, he prefers dead variables.

I have to say, for a short story, this one really kept me listening. It was great! The reader is also great; I enjoy his style of reading. Enjoy!